NCAAB Elite Eight best picks and top odds | Saturday, March 26

The field has slimmed down to eight teams and the end of March Madness is in sight. Thursday’s games were some of the more shocking games in college basketball history as the two tourney favorites were defeated. Both Arizona and Gonzaga are going home at the hands of Houston and Arkansas. The madness was on full display last night and it set up some very interesting Elite Eight matchups. There are only two games on Saturday, but the winners will be in the vaunted Final Four. And once you’re there, you’re amongst basketball royalty. Here are the picks for Saturday’s games.

Houston Cougars vs Villanova Wildcats

This is going to be a great game. Houston plays a very aggressive style of basketball where they have a great defense and the best offensive rebounding in the country. They are an interesting matchup for a smaller Villanova team in the sense that they should be able to control rebounding. However, Villanova is a very disciplined team that will settle the ball down and stay away from turning the ball over. Houston has made it this far without their two best players but it has not mattered. They are playing great basketball and with coach Kelvin Sampson, Houston should advance to the Elite Eight.

Villanova poses a threat to anyone because they have the best point guard in college basketball. Collin Gillespie feels like he has been playing college basketball for 8 years and has only gotten better. He will be able to control the offense and won’t get flustered by Houston’s length. Beyond Gillespie, Villanova has a couple of great players but they don’t have a deep bench. Houston is super physical and will try to get Villanova in foul trouble. If they succeed, this game will not be as close as the line suggests. Either way, Houston is hot right now and provides a uniquely tough matchup for Villanova. Take the Cougs.

Arkansas Razorbacks vs Duke Blue Devils

It’s starting to shape up perfectly for Duke in Coach K’s final season. Duke battled past a tough Texas Tech team and now don’t have to play Gonzaga. Of course, Arkansas just beat Gonzaga but they are a better matchup for Duke. Duke has a great offense but doesn’t play good defense. Similar to Texas Tech, Arkansas has a good defense and a mediocre offense. Duke just beat Texas Tech and they can use the same formula for Arkansas. They will use their talent to run in transition and get easy buckets. While that opens up their defense, Arkansas will have a tough time taking advantage.

The Razorbacks have had a great run but they have finally met their match. Duke simply has too much NBA talent for Arkansas and as long as they don’t have a terrible shooting night, they will win this game. Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin and Wendell Moore Jr., are all great shot-makers and Duke’s ability to rotate between these scorers is an advantage in every matchup. While Arkansas has a lot of guys and are playing great basketball, Duke simply is a better team. Also, narrative matters in college basketball. It’s Coach K’s last season and he could very well be on his way to his sixth national title. Take Duke -4 in what should be a very entertaining, high paced matchup.

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